


Time Over Time

by SociallyUnacceptableOrb



Series: NOVA Be Damned [1]
Category: Hoshi no Kaabii | Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
Genre: 4Kids Dub, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Epic Friendship, Gen, Magic, Necromancy, Wishes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2019-09-07 08:41:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16850830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SociallyUnacceptableOrb/pseuds/SociallyUnacceptableOrb
Summary: It's gotten way too quiet in Cappy Town.





	1. Chapter 1

The sun was going down on another blissfully sweet day in Cappy Town, and Kirby was enjoying the last few rays of sunlight with his favorite pastime – eating. Kirby’s tiny home was chock-full of massive cakes, pies, and other assorted treats as thank-you gifts from the various planets freed from eNeMeE’s tyranny. His two close friends, Tiff and Tuff, were also within the home and watching the small Star Warrior pack away pastries as Tokkori quietly seethed at the huge mess Kirby was making.

Besides the treats Kirby had been given by these kindly strangers, he was also getting quite a bit of positive attention from Dedede, of all people. The corpulent caliph and his creepy cronies had wasted no time at all in turning Kirby into an attraction for their town, under the guise of helping to raise money for rebuilding efforts. It had worked like a charm; people came in from far and wide just to walk the streets where the puffball strode, thankfully politer than they’d been last time. Kirby and the Cappies had been nothing short of grateful for their charity.

And yet, Tiff still felt sour about the whole business model.

“What’s the matter with you, Tiff?” her brother asked. “It’s been months since Nightmare’s bit it! Shouldn’t you be happy?”

“I wish I could be happy, Tuff. Really, I do.” She absentmindedly picked up a Kirby plushie from the bed. “But the only reason Dedede is even doing all this for Kirby is because it gets him more money! He doesn’t care that he saved the world, or the galaxy, or anything! He just cares that he can profit off of him!” She collected herself, and then sighed. “It all just feels so…”

“Cheap?” Tuff offered.

Tiff looked down at the stuffed animal in her hands, turning it over and brushing stray chunks of fluff off it. “Yeah, that’s a good word for it.”

Across the town, Dedede was having troubles of his own, though they had less to do with distaste of unbridled merchandizing and more of its upkeep. Dedede was content with his profits secured with the little pink ball, but he needed an edge. A Star Warrior on his side to defend him, to glorify him, to tell bold tales of the mighty king that would be remembered for decades at a low fee. But so far, he’d no such luck.

Sir Arthur and his band refused to compromise their honor and lie for his sake, and pointed out that they had much work of their own with reforming the GSA and keeping an eye out for any evildoers that felt they had free range what with eNeMeE having been ground to stardust. Knuckle Joe and his friend had also refused on the token that they both hated him, and their guardian refused to let them stay off planet any longer and miss any more school. And he knew it was only a matter of time before Meta Knight and his knights came in and asked for their severance checks.

Dedede sighed and ate the last bite of his dinner.

“Feeling a little under the weather, your majesty?” Escargoon asked. “You haven’t been this quiet eatin’ your dinner ever since you found out what cholesterol was.”

“What’re you talking about, Escargoon?! I’m fine!” He whistled towards the Waddle Dees. “Yo! You get me some sherbet!” Dedede pouted and tried to act like his usual self, but the snail could tell there was something off. Meta Knight watched them silently, and then slunk off to his usual vantage point atop one of the tower’s balconies.

He knew that it was fruitless at this point, but he’d gotten so used to his nightly vigil that he couldn’t even sleep through it, even if he tried. It was ingrained into his internal clock, like how he refused to rest without taking his armor off, and he deemed that it would always be that way. Even through he hadn’t had an unpleasant dream in multiple months, and the transporter had been ripped to shreds and repurposed by the people, he still waited for something, anything to happen.

Rain began to gently drizzle down, the cooling sensation on his skin helping to put him less on edge. But Meta Knight’s paranoia paid off as he saw something gold begin to peek through the clouds, something he knew couldn’t be the sun. If he didn’t know any better, it was a shooting star, or a space shuttle crash-landing onto the planet, or a meteorite entering the stratosphere.

 A very, very close meteorite.

Meta Knight jumped off of the tower as the unidentified object clipped the far side of the castle wall, spiraling into the courtyard and embedding itself a good few meters into the ground, propping up against the fountain. As the dust settled, he stumbled his way through the rubble it had kicked up, and came face to face with a shiny golden panel. The spherical swordsman slowly extended his arm, and brushed his hand against the reflective metal, wondering why nobody else in the castle had heard the crash, or even felt it.

It seemed that the universe had taken that as a challenge, for in a matter of seconds something much larger and much heavier landed in the bay, causing a shockwave and knocking out all the power in the castle.

At least, that’s what Meta Knight gathered as he could hear Dedede and Escargoon’s panicked shrieking and someone slamming hard into a wall.

Back in the throne room, Dedede was pacing the floor, half panicked and half-livid. As much as he hated to admit it, he thought to himself that Sir Arthur was right; there were still monsters out there, wreaking havoc across planets without Nightmare’s leash around their necks. And now, one had found its way back to Popstar and needed a good clobbering from a regular hero. And it wouldn’t be Meta Knight, or Knuckle Joe, or that creepy little white-haired girl, or that stupid pink ball… it was going to be him, damn it.

Escargoon barely had the time to grab an umbrella as the king marched out the door, his hammer firmly clenched in one gloved mitt. Dedede hauled his right-hand man down to the dungeon, slammed him in the driver’s seat, and barreled into town. The rest of Cappy Town was also in a blackout, with many of its residents quickly milling around the car, shouting their concerns and begging for advice.

“Alright, alright!” Escargoon shouted, still grouchy from having to go out in the rain. “Give him some air, will ya? We’ll answer all of your questions if you just relax.” His eyes nervously darted to Dedede. “I mean, probably.”

“Was it a monster?” Kawasaki asked.

“Maybe one of them survived the fortress exploding!” Mabel cried.

“That’s ridiculous! Nothing could’ve survived that!” Curio countered.

“I saw something land in the bay!” Samo offered up.

“Then it looks like we’re headed to the bay!” Dedede roared. “As your king, it’s my duty to keep you an’ yours all safe and sound! Just don’t worry your pretty little heads, we’ll get right to the bottom of this!”

“We?” Escargoon pathetically asked as the car took off again, heading right towards the docks. The cappies watched on in bewilderment, still not sure if Dedede was actually going to do something, or strong-arm some poor fool into defeating the monster for him.

“I wish it was Kirby that was helping us.” the mayor mumbled when Dedede was out of earshot.

In no time at all, Dedede and Escargoon were out in the middle of the sea, in their speedboat commandeered by a single Waddle Dee. Beneath the choppy waves a golden halo glowed brightly, luring these two villains to it like Kirby to a big patch of watermelons. Dedede’s eyes lit up deviously and prepared his hammer, ready to shout a defiant challenge to whatever creature had decided to invade his planet.

But he never got the chance to emit this cry as their entire ship suddenly lurched and bucked like a wild bronco upon hitting the edge of the ring. By the time they’d blinked, they were stranded in the middle of the ocean, floating aimlessly as they caught their breaths. The tubby king huffed and pounded his fist on the hard metal he laid upon and sat up straight.

“THIS AIN’T FAIR! I’M THE KING, NOT HIM! I SHOULDN’T KEEP A-FAILIN’ TO DO ANYTHING!” Dedede screamed up at the heavens. He scowled and pouted as Escargon looked around, trying to figure out which way the shore was, so that they could paddle back. He noticed something significantly more concerning, however.

“Sire?” Escargoon asked, tugging on Dedede’s coat sleeve. “That’s our boat.” And indeed it was, the speedboat puttering away towards the shore as the Waddle Dee captain hauled ass from the situation. Dedede growled in annoyance.

“Well, what’s that got to do with anything?!” Dedede yelled, punching him in the arm. “Other than that we got a bunch of cowards for our workers!”

“No, I mean… if that’s our boat, then what are we floating on?” The dawning horror soon reached Dedede, and both men looked down. They were atop a golden object, half submerged in the choppy ocean waters. Turning around revealed a catlike mouth and two closed eyes. They sat in amazement, taking in whatever it was that had crashed down, until its eyes snapped open with a vibrant purple glow.

**\-- > GREETINGS.**

Both let out ear-piercing screams as it began to resurface, flipping them off of its face and into the sea below. The two of them tread water in place, trying to regain their bearings until more objects began to pull themselves off of the ocean floor below. A giant globe, weather-vane, and pocket watch all began to amass and connect themselves to its sides as a pendulum swung down and began to chime a haunting melody. They gaped as it spoke again with a booming monotone.

**\-- > MY NAME IS NOVA. I AM THE CLOCKWORK STAR OF THE GALAXY. TELL ME, WHO ARE YOU?**

“Uh…” Dedede’s stomach was currently doing gymnastics and his brain was a puddle of mush. Escargoon wasn’t any help either, his jaw was still slack from witnessing the giant clockwork star reform. The next few seconds felt like hours as Dedede finally willed up the courage to say something. “Muh-my name’s King Dedede, and this here’s Escargoon. An-and I’ve got one thing to say to you.” He picked up the snail and proceeded to use him as a shield. “EAT HIM FIRST!”

Slightly offended, Escargoon yelped and tried to wrestle his way out of the king’s vice grip. But the tubby penguin wasn’t letting go any time soon, no matter how much of a strain it was putting on his doggy-paddle. Thankfully, for both of their sakes, NOVA blinked in appreciation and spoke once more.

**\-- > I MUST THANK YOU, KING DEDEDE.**

“Say what, now?” Dedede asked, lowering the protesting snail.

**\-- > YOUR PLANET IS MY REFUGE. MY SANCTUARY. AND FOR THAT, I AM ETERNALLY IN YOUR DEBT.**

 “Hey, I’m here, too!” Escargoon cried, flapping his arms as if to get the star’s attention. “Don’t I get a cut of this debt, too?”

**\-- > I WILL GIVE YOU EACH A WISH. READY?**

Dedede’s eyes lit up and a mischievous grin crossed his face. “Well, now. How’s about you get me some of them Star Warriors to help drum up the business in this dump? Better yet, make it two of ‘em! I need a real deal attraction if I wanna keep Cappy Town from going down like a tree in a forest!”

“And while you’re at it, how about getting us onto dry land?!” Escargoon added with a huff. “I’d prefer not to wake up with the fishes!”

**\-- > OK.**

**\-- > 1… 2… 3… GO!**

The celestial timepiece lit up, and the two of them quickly covered their eyes as a bright white light filled the sky. They were jolted into alertness when they felt the ground suddenly smack them clean in the face. Pulling himself up from his knees, Dedede looked around to see that he was on the boat, and it was quickly pulling into the harbor. The Waddle Dee looked over its shoulder and breathed a sigh of relief or a moment, until it saw a steamed penguin marching its way. The king was prevented from clobbering the innocent creature within an inch of its life when he heard the chimes again, and turned to see NOVA now floating stories above them.

**\-- > IF THERE IS ANYTHING MORE YOU MUST ASK OF ME, COME AND FIND ME. I WILL BE HERE.**

“Wait, you’ll be where?! Here? Is that what you mean?” NOVA disappeared into the night sky without another sound. “Hey! You get back here! Y’all still owe some knights!” Dedede shook his fist at the long-gone star. “Where they at?”

“Well, maybe they’re back at the castle,” Escargoon said, finally getting up. He rubbed the side of his cheek, trying to numb the pain. “Along with some heating and a nice, warm bed.”

* * *

Kirby dutifully lit candles under Tokkori’s supervision as the little canary tried to figure out what was going on. Tiff and Tuff had left hours ago, rushing towards the castle in wild hope that it was only an accident, and not a sign of something worse to come. The house was devoid of all food, after a snarky remark from Tokkori regarding refrigeration went right over Kirby’s head and the pastries went into Kirby’s stomach. All that remained was the tiny plush toy of the pink Star Warrior, resting atop the television.

“I bet Dedede stuffed a fork in a toaster just to see what would happen! He’s getting so bored, I think he’s gonna try an’ make it illegal!” The little bird sneered as Kirby half-listened. “But if it is another monster, then I’ll show him a thing or two! I don’t care who these creeps think they are! You don’t just mess with Tokkori when he’s trying to-!”

A loud knock came at the door.

Tokkori squawked in fear and hid under the pillow as Kirby looked up at the sound. He put down the box of matches, picked up the candle he’d just lit and waddled over to the door. With a tiny squeak, he leaned up against it, hearing the sounds of labored breathing and sniffling. His paw reached for the handle as the stranger knocked again, this time, more frantic.

“Hi!” he chirped with a wide smile. He couldn’t quite make out the person’s face, but he could tell they were in trouble.

“Please,” whimpered the figure, as a strike of lightning pealed across the sky, briefly revealing the lavender glow of her hair. “I don’t know where I am, or how I got here… I just need somewhere to stay. Would that be alright?”

“Uh-huh!” Kirby said without a hint of hesitation, immediately taking her by the hand and pulling her into the room. “Kori! Look! A fren’!” He squeaked out. Tokkori popped out from under the pillow, enraged by the baby’s actions, least of which letting this woman track mud through the house.

“This ain’t a bed and breakfast, Kirby!” His complaints fell on deaf ears as Kirby led her to the bed. The purple-haired woman was asleep as soon as she hit the mattress, and Kirby pulled the blanket over her with a gentle smile. Tokkori rolled his eyes, but gently laid down on the pillow beside her, and Kirby curled up at the foot of the bed. The soft little puff looked out the window, listening the rain gently patter atop the domed roof, and fell into a deep slumber with his potential new friend by his side.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happy “not feeling self-conscious about getting your loved ones material objects” Day, have an elf dad.

The next morning when Kirby awoke, the stranger wasn’t there. In fact, no trace of her was even left; it appeared she’d cleaned up all the mud that she’d tracked through the house as well as folding the still-damp blanket she’d used and setting it on a chair. Tokkori yawned loudly, opened his eyes just a crack, took in the room’s appearance, and closed his eyes again. They immediately snapped open again, and he sprang up as he looked around the room in frenzied shock.

“Huh? Where’d she run off to?” Tokkori asked no one in particular, but Kirby looked around the room the same as he and blinked, offering up a small squeak of uncertainty. The yellow bird looked down at him. “Hey, Kirby. Did you have the exact same dream as me last night, after the power went out, about a lady all in purple that broke into our house?”

Before Kirby could offer up any other noise in response, they heard a woman’s yell from outside. After practically tearing the door off its hinges to see what was going on, they saw their late-night visitor hard at work attacking dummies made of stone. Kirby could sense something familiar about her as she sent bits and chunks of stone flying with each hit on each dummy, but he just couldn’t place a nub on it. Tokkori was less than contemplative, and instead flew over to the purple woman in a huff, whistling sharply to get her attention.

“Oh! Good morning!” she responded, not noticing the canary’s rage. “I’m sorry for startling you last night, really. Couldn’t exactly get my bearings in the middle of a thunderstorm.”

“Well, you startled us this _morning,_ too!” Tokkori sneered. “How’re we supposed to sleep in if you’re smashing up statues like a sculptor with an anger problem?!”

“Just a bit of late morning training, that’s all.” She brushed some dust off of the half-smashed dummy’s face. “I didn’t mean to bother you or your son.”

That line sent Tokkori into a tizzy.  “Kirby ain’t my son! You look at that boy and tell me if you see a beak or feathers on him!” Kirby laughed and threw his arms up at the sound of his name, and Garlude gently smiled at the cuteness.

“My apologies again,” She said with a short bow. “Let’s start from the beginning, alright? I am Garlude of the Star Warriors, and I’m pleased to make both yours and Kirby’s acquaintance.” She fanned out her cape and bowed. “And what’s your name, little bird?”

Tokkori rolled his eyes. “Name’s Tokkori. And I don’t care who you’re with! You’ve still got a whole lotta nerve just barging on into my house like that!” But Kirby, upon hearing her name, gasped in glee as his eyes lit up. He bolted back inside the house and returned shortly with a yellow ribbon tied around his head like a bandanna. He shouted and began to furiously attack the dummies with the same ferocity that she’d shown, all the while growling and making gun-shooting noises with his mouth. Neither adult know what to make of it, but Garlude offered up a guess.

“I think Kirby wants to train with me!” She said with a laugh.

“Well, he certainly got enough energy for it.” Tokkori added.

Meanwhile across town, Tuff was busy playing a game of soccer with his friends. The power outage had knocked out the TV on the premier of his mother’s favorite show’s finale, so he was more than grateful that the storm hadn’t carried over to the next day. Anything to get him out of the house and far from her grouchiness.

She wasn’t the only one in a bad mood; Tiff had been up nearly the entire night trying to figure out what could’ve caused the blackout, and had been examining a weird gold hunk of metal that had landed in their yard and scouring it for any clues. As usual, Meta Knight was full of mysteries but overall of no help, and all this adding up in his head was really starting to take a toll on his usual sports skills. In fact, he was so distracted that he missed the goal by a mile and punted the ball deep into Whispy Woods.

“Aw, c’mon!” Tuff yelled in annoyance. He sighed and trawled through the thick weeds and trees to get to it. The ball had managed to roll in front of the mouth of a cave, and as Tuff bent down to grab it, he noticed something strange. He could see there was someone lying down right at it’s opening, but far in enough that he couldn’t tell exactly what they looked like.

“Hello?” he asked, and the figure began to stir with a sharp groan. Tuff yelped and fell backwards, clutching the ball in front of him as if it would shield him. The figure got up to its feet and rubbed the back of its head, loudly popping a few cricks out of its neck. It turned around, and gave a short gasp as it saw the young boy, still cowering behind his sports equipment.

“Hey, what are you doing out here? It’s not safe.” Tuff could tell by their tone that they were clearly trying to calm him down, but couldn’t deny they sounded a lot like Knuckle Joe. That is, if Knuckle Joe was about ten years older and had something stuck in his throat. The person slowly walked towards Tuff, clearly not trying to scare him further. “It’s alright, kid. Ain’t gonna hurt you.”

The character stepped out into the light, and Tuff could see him in full glory. Against all odds, it was Knuckle Joe’s father, looking just as confused as Tuff was. Though, the knight’s confusion seemed to be more towards his immediate surroundings rather than his revival. Hadn’t Meta Knight been the one to destroy him after Nightmare turned him evil? Whatever the case, his suspicions now proven true, Tuff tried to find a way to tackle the situation with as much care and respect as he could muster.

“Whoa! You’re a Star Warrior!” Tuff shouted, jumping up and beaming.

“Uh, yeah!” Knuckle Joe’s father, still visibly out of it, offered up a nervous chuckle before clearing his throat. “Name’s Cavalier Jack, at your service! Mind telling me where I am? Last time I checked, Halfmoon never looked this nice.”

“You’re in Cappy Town!” Tuff said, and took him by the hand. “C’mon, I’ll show you around.” Before he even had time to reply, Tuff was already dragging him out of Whispy Woods and back to his friends. Within a matter of seconds, Cavalier Jack was being bombarded on all sides of a collective of starstruck little boys, all shouting over each other in frenzied joy.

“Do you know Sir Arthur?”

“Where’s your sword?”

“I’ve got an action figure of you!”

“Did the GSA send you here?”

“Hey, whoa! Slow your roll, guys,” he said, holding his hands out. “Yeah, I was on a mission, but I’ve got no clue how I ended up here. I’ve got no sword, no shield, and no way to tell anyone where I am. But I’ve made it through worse!” He said with a wink.

“You should ask Meta Knight for help!” Spikehead offered. “He’s probably in town signing autographs or something.”

“Autographs? Meta Knight? You’re pulling my leg, kid!” he replied.

“Does he even have legs?” Tuff whispered.

“Eh, either way, thanks for the tip! Catch you later!” Jack said, waving goodbye as he began to head south.

“Uh, Cappy Town’s that way…” Iroo said.

“I knew that,” Cavalier Jack said, turning on his heel and heading north. “Just testing you.”

The kids cheered and waved as he left, but Tuff still wanted answers from the purple guy, and he quickly darted after him. He took the knight’s hand and swung it a bit as they walked. Jack looked down to see the beaming kid looking up at him and gently pulled away from his grip.  

“You don’t have to follow me, you know. I probably can figure out how to get around town myself.” He responded.

“I know. I just wanna.” Tuff said. And so, the duo silently walked all the way to the village, which already seemed to have an early rush of tourists bustling about town. Tuff did his best to try and keep him from getting lost in the crowds, but they soon found themselves pinned up against the tree in the middle of the courtyard for security.

“Okay, so maybe I was wrong,” Jack said. “Is it always like this?”

“It is nowadays.” Tuff grumbled. He stood on his tiptoes and looked around for the round blue knight. He found the second-best thing instead; an extremely tired looking Tiff alongside Kirby, shielding him from overzealous fans. He could see the deep, dark circles beneath her eyes and her nose stuck in a journal as she scribbled something down in it. There was also another woman holding Kirby’s tiny little paw that he didn’t recognize, but Jack certainly did.

“Garlude?” he said aloud, squinting closer at the purple haired-lady. He then cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. “Hey! Garlude! Is that you?”

“Jack?!” Garlude just about did a double-take. She pushed through the sea of people and made it up to him, dragging Kirby along with her. Tiff did nothing but stare, finally snapping out of her sleep-deprived dementia. “How did you get here?” Garlude asked as Kirby smiled brightly, recognizing him in kind.

“I’ve love to tell ya, but I’m a little lost myself,” Jack admitted. His gaze darted down to the puffball that had begun to tug on his cape to get his attention. “And who’s this little ankle biter?”

“Ka-bee!” Kirby cheered. “Fren’ Jo! Jo!”

 That earned a laugh out of him. “Hey, you’re close. That’s my kid’s name.”

“I think he’s the same age, too!” Garlude said. “Who knows, they might make good friends!”

Tuff smiled brightly, but was pulled away from the scene by Tiff, who’d regained her bearings and was back to her old self. The bags under her eyes didn’t help to make her look any less creepy, though.

“Tuff, aren’t those Knuckle Joe and Sirica’s parents?” Tiff asked in a soft voice, barely above a whisper.

“Uh, yeah…?” Tuff said, shooting a quick look at the pair. “Why?”

“Didn’t Meta Knight tell us that something bad happened to them?” she continued. “And don’t you think it’s weird that they’re here right after we finished fighting eNeMeE?”

“Hey! Are you really gonna accuse these guys of being imposters?” Tuff admonished.

“Well, no!” Tiff defended. “I’m just saying that until we know everything, it’s best if we stay careful. Right, Kirby?”

Kirby was gone, as were the two Star Warriors. If Tiff and Tuff had paid a touch more attention, they would have seen that their pink puffy friend had dragged both Jack and Garlude into Kawasaki’s restaurant. At the current moment, Kawasaki was busy telling them both all about Kirby’s exploits.

“What?! This little guy’s a Star Warrior, too?” Jack asked in disbelief. “He’s barely old enough to tie his shoes, and you’re telling me he’s out there fighting monsters?”

“You bet! He’s one of the best there is. He’s cooked so many monsters, he could probably get a restaurant of his own one day!” Kawasaki gave a nervous laugh. “If he didn’t eat all the food in the place, that is!”

“Hey, nobody can beat me in a Gourmet Race!” Jack boasted. “Unless Pinky over here’s really up for the challenge.”

“Poyo!” Kirby said with a nod.

“Jack!” Garlude chastised, with a gentle bonk to the back of his head. “That’s a little much, don’t you think?”

“Pfft, c’mon, it’s just a little bit of friendly competition.” He reassured her. “Besides, I’m starving.”

Come to think of it, so was she. It felt like she hadn’t eaten in years. While slightly disapproving of their little contest, Garlude relented and got herself a bowl of ramen as she waited for Kawasaki to finish preparation for their ‘contest.’ Of course, in such a tiny town, word spread fast of a fellow Star Warrior challenging Kirby to an eating contest, and it didn’t take long for a crowd to form inside and outside the restaurant. Stacks upon stacks of noodle soup filled the area around the table, and Kawasaki gently placed Garlude’s bowl in front of her before quickly rushing back to Jack and Kirby.

“Everybody ready?” Kawasaki asked. Cavalier Jack took his mask off. Squeals of joy ensued from the onlookers.

“Go!” the chef shouted, and both Star Warriors dug in. Garlude had the sneaking suspicion that Kawasaki had accidentally grabbed a cup of sugar in place of salt, but anything tasted good on an empty stomach. Jack was making record time as he moved to the sixth bowl of noodles, only to be stopped by Kirby happening to grab the exact same dish. Looking up, he saw that not only had the little pink puff managed to polish off every single one of his own bowls, but he’d finished the rest of Jack’s in a heartbeat, the empty containers stacked in messy piles.

“Okay, you win.” Jack groaned and slammed his head on the counter, and Kirby grabbed the bowl of ramen and slurped it up without a second thought.

“Well, if you’re still hungry after all of that, you can have some of mine.” Garlude sarcastically said, not even gracing Jack with eye contact.

“If I see another noodle, I think I’m gonna pop.” He dully replied, still face down on the table. Kirby, still a happy little ball of energy, bounded out of the restaurant with the throng of people parting to let him past. Garlude shook her head and smiled a bit as she got the picture, sliding out of her chair and following suit. Jack lifted his head up, put his mask on, and handed Kawasaki a small bag. “Keep the change!”

“Oh, you’re too generous!” Upon opening the bag, Kawasaki found a handful of jewels. His eyes lit up in shock as he gave a tiny gasp, and he looked up again at the retreating knight. “I don’t even know how to make change for a ruby…”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> My kingdom for the ability to write fight scenes.

When they’d come back together after the eating contest, Tuff and Kirby migrated over to the swing set, rocking themselves back and forth and generally having a good time as Cavailer Jack and Garlude watched from a bench. Tiff sat motionless on her swing, pondering how two deceased Star Warriors had come to return, all of her theories coalescing into a mixture of confusion. She realized she wouldn’t get any answers if she sat idly by, and decided to walk right over to them and interrogate until her theories had been confirmed.

“We never got the proper chance to introduce ourselves, Jack. My name’s Tiff,” She said. Unlike her usual methods of interrogation, she chose to play it cool as she slid onto one of the benches beside theirs and gazed up at the purple swordsmen. “I don’t mean to be nosy, but were you guys doing before you decided to come here?”

“Easy! I was with Meta Knight, last I checked. There was a monster factory being built in one of the nearby villages, so all of us had to go on foot to avoid getting caught.” Cavalier Jack explained as he leaned back on the bench. “Have to admit, all that camping made me hate the taste of coffee.”

“That can’t be right,” Garlude interjected. “I was on a mission with Meta Knight! And Sir Arthur told us that it was too risky to bring a group.”

The obvious ‘fake answer’ of being sent by the Galaxy Soldier Army had been well and duly subverted, so Tiff could cross that paranoid thought out of her mind. But their conflicting stories aided by their mutual puzzlement at the other’s answer didn’t help to clear anything up. Before Tiff could offer up a second question, Dedede’s limousine (oddly enough, piloted by two Waddle Dees) sped up to the bench with a cacophonous screech. A metal hand shot out and snatched both knights up with a steely vice-grip before stuffing them into the trunk and speeding away towards the castle.

Having seen this event multiple times before, Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby wasted no time following in hot pursuit.

“Kirby, you go save Cavalier Jack and Garlude!” Tiff commanded. “Tuff and I are gonna go find Meta Knight!”

“Poyo!” Kirby shouted in response. He picked up speed and left both siblings in the dust.

“Gee, I’ve never seen Kirby this serious about anything.” Tuff said.

“As long as he doesn’t get distracted, he’ll be fine!” Tiff said. “I just hope Meta Knight doesn’t take this too badly.”

Meanwhile, to say that the two Star Warriors weren’t happy with their current predicament was an understatement. Barely a minute into the cell, and Cavalier Jack was already trying to rip the bars apart. Though equally angered, Garlude simply sat on the stone-cold floor of the dungeon, deep in thought.

“You’re never gonna get away with this!” Jack screamed to no one in particular, gritting his teeth and yanked on the bars again. When it was clear that nobody was listening, he gave a defeated sigh and sat down on the ground. Garlude said nothing, but Jack could pick up on her discomfort, so he asked “Hey, you doin’ alright, Garle?”

“I’m fine, it’s just that…” Her voice trailed off a bit as she looked down at the ground. “Something about us being here doesn’t seem right.”

“I don’t follow.” Jack replied with a quizzical head tilt.

“I’ve been thinking about what Kawasaki said about the monster problem they’ve been having. We should have more than enough soldiers to cover for that! Even if this planet is as far from HQ as possible! This village shouldn’t have to rely on a little kid.” Garlude took a deep breath. “And we woke up here with barely any memories and no weapons. Jack, I can’t shake the feeling that something horrible happened.”

He gave a brisk nod and began to wonder himself, his hand darting to his neck to fidget with his medallion like he usually did when he as lost in thought. That is, he would have fidgeted with it if he’d actually had it on his person. He wildly grabbed for it around his neck, only to receive a handful of empty air. Garlude mentally elected not to tell him he’d been lacking it since they’d reunited, considering how frantic he already was.

“YOU GOONS BETTER GIVE ME THAT MEDALLION BACK!” Jack yelled, jumping to his feet throwing himself against the bars again. “OR WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU, YOU’LL BE WALKING FUNNY FOR MONTHS!”

A familiar voice echoed off the halls. “Poyo!”

“What the…?” Jack’s voice dropped back to its normal pitch as his grip on the bars loosened.

“Kirby?” Garlude asked aloud as she pulled herself up and walked over to Jack's side. “How did he get in here?”

It was, indeed, Kirby. In one hand he held a jingling set of keys, and he happily waved over to them with the other. He bounded over to the cell doors, and quickly unlocked it with another satisfied ‘poyo’. As soon as he stepped out, Jack picked Kirby up, the little puffball giggling in glee as he kicked his feet.

“You really helped us out, little buddy!” he praised, and then looked around to make sure the kid hadn’t been followed. Garlude gingerly stepped out as well, and the two cautiously made their way down the teal-tinted halls, Kirby perched on one of Jack’s spherical pauldrons. Their only sort of obstacles was the Waddle Dees, which were easy enough to avoid as they quickly ducked into a room down the hall from the dungeons.

“Woah,” Garlude said upon seeing the room. It was a small living area, with three beds and weapons covering the walls. In the far corner, she could see a chair perched before a TV, and another door leading out into another hallway. “This is one small barrack.”

“Looks pretty cheap, too,” Jack replied, scanning the room for movement. “What kind of jerk makes his soldiers sleep right next to where they keep their prisoners?” He pulled Kirby off his shoulder, who proceeded to run towards one of the beds with a jar of colorful vitamins next to it. He hopped on top of it and called to the both of them.

“Night oh-poy.” Kirby said quaintly.

“Yeah, yeah. We’ll have to use these for the time being.” Jack pried one of the swords off of the wall, and Garlude grabbed a mace. Kirby watched anxiously, feeling like he was being ignored until Jack turned to him and pulled his mask off.

“Kirby,” Cavalier Jack said, his voice gentle and fatherly. He handed the pink puffball a key. “We’re gonna need you to stay here, it’s the only place safe enough for you to stay until we can scope out more of this castle. Don’t unlock that door for anybody, not unless you know who they are! You understand?”

“Poyo!” Kirby tried to protest, but Jack tucked him into the bed.

“We’ll be right back, I promise!” He gently rubbed Kirby’s round little head, and pulled his mask back down. With a quick nod, both he and Garlude darted out of the room, closing the door firmly behind them. Kirby laid back and rested against the soft pillows, mussing the pink blanket with his paws.

* * *

“What? Two Star Warriors were found in Cappy Town?” Meta Knight asked.

“And that’s not all,” Tiff said. “These aren’t just any Star Warriors.”

Meta Knight humphed in response and turned to walk away. “You’ll find that any Star Warrior surviving is a miracle all its own. Where are they now?”

“Um… you see,” Tiff mumbled, kicked her foot and scratched the back of her head. “That’s the thing.”

“Their names are Cavalier Jack and Garlude!” Tuff shouted, annoyed at his big sister’s dancing around the subject. “And Dedede kidnapped ‘em and brought them to the castle!”

“Tuff!” Tiff shouted.

Meta Knight froze in his tracks. Without even turning around, he shakily asked, “What did you say their names were?”

Before Tuff could reiterate, the sounds of a distant skirmish caught their attention. Rushing to the source, they found Cavalier Jack and Garlude up to their metaphorical noses in Waddle Dees, and putting up a pretty good fight. The kids weren’t sure what they’d expected Meta Knight to do, but he just stared out at the battle, observing every move the two Star Warriors made.

“Man, I’ve seen dust bunnies tougher than these guys!” Jack yelled over the noise.

 “It looks like their boss wanted quantity over quality!” Garlude replied, knocking back three with one well-placed blow. She’d finally cleared a path for an exit, and the two immediately darted towards the opening. But more and more Waddle Dees proceeded to run to block them off, aided by their leader.

“Cut ‘em off!” Captain Waddle Doo commanded.

“Oh, no ya don’t!” Jack shouted. One strong kick from the warrior, and Captain Waddle Doo was launched hallway across the terrace. Jack grinned under his mask. “Piece of cake!”

Sword Knight and Blade Knight jumped in front of them, and if invading the castle wasn’t enough to get them riled up for a battle, then the fact that these two intruders were using the weapons that they’d sworn to never touch again probably would do it. Instead of calling them off, Meta Knight proceeded to do nothing, instead narrowing his eyes to slits as he waited to see how the battle would turn out.

“You’ve got a lot of nerve breaking into our castle!” Sword Knight declared.

“And you’ve got a lot of nerve dragging us here!” Jack retaliated, planting his feet into the ground and standing up.

“Soiroit payback to you sehree!” Blade shouted.

“Likewise.” Garlude said as she narrowed her eyes and lunged towards the shorter knight, while Jack parried Sword’s blows. As the four fought, the Waddle Dees moved in closer and closer, boxing them in with their spears. Their clashing was brought to a halt as the sound of rushing air broke through the battle, and the Waddle Dees began fleeing left and right.

It was Kirby, attempting to inhale the sword on Captain Waddle Doo’s belt to help his new friends. But a spear-wielding Dee was a few inches closer, and leapt in front of his downed commander despite the danger. But the Waddle Dee’s grip faltered in the face of the whirlwind, and he fell flat on his face as Kirby sucked up the spear. One transformation later, and Kirby had a brand new Copy ability and hat to match.

“Look at that! Kirby transformed!” Tuff cheered.

“And I didn’t even have to say anything!” Tiff added on, beaming with pride.

“Yes. That is Spear Kirby,” Meta Knight said. “He'll be sure to make his enemies get the point! Let us see how he turns the tables!”

Meanwhile, the two Star Warriors were in speechless shock at this tiny baby suddenly gaining magical powers. Even as Kirby bolted to their side, they still couldn’t believe what they were seeing.

“Pinch me.” Jack said.

“Why?” Garlude asked.

“I think I’m dreaming.” He hoarsely replied, his voice audibly cracking.

Sword Knight was equally shocked, but for a different reason. “Kirby, what are you doing? Why are you on their side?”

Waddle Doo had gotten back to his feet, and he pulled out his sword with an angry glare, fairly impressive for a creature with only one eye. “It doesn’t matter who’s side who’s on! Anybody going against the king is due for a beatdown!”

Kirby hesitated for a second, but knew he had to protect his new friends from anyone, including his old friends. Kirby glared and charged at the trio, dodging Waddle Doo’s jabs and parrying his strokes. Sword and Blade received a similar treatment, this time with the little puffball jabbing forwards and thrusting down, knocking them off balance. But he was starting to get ganged up on. As the Waddle Dees abandoned Jack and Garlude and began to crowd around him. Kirby squeaked in surprise, and twirled the spear above his head, hovering gently to avoid getting hit.

“We can’t let Kirby fight them all alone!” Garlude cried. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

“Maneuver 15?” Jack offered up.

“Right!” She said. They both nodded and began to run towards the swath of Dees and knights, Jack leading the charge and Garlude trailing behind, scraping her sword against the ground. Blue sparks flew from the blade as her Sword Beam began to power up.

“This technique…!” Meta Knight gasped.

“Now!” Cavalier Jack shouted as he turned on his heel, stopping dead in his tracks right before Garlude. With one hand, he boosted her up and launched her into the sky. Garlude twisted and fired the fully charged Sword Beam at the ground, creating a massive shockwave that knocked the Waddle Dees across the courtyard and sent Sword and Blade crashing to the ground. As the dust cleared, Meta Knight finally made a move, slowly walking towards Jack and Garlude. The two Star Warriors quickly around to  To the shock of everyone, Meta Knight immediately pulled the two of them into a warm embrace.

“It really is you,” Meta’s Knight sounded like he was about to cry as held them tighter. “My dearest friends.”

“Missed you too, pal!” Jack said, rubbing Meta Knight's back with a gentle chuckle before pulling away with Garlude. Sword Knight and blade Knight got to their feet and slowly walked over to the trio. 

“Wait, are you telling me that those two are Cavalier Jack…?” Sword began.

“...and Garlude?” Blade finished. Both swordsmen gave a short yell of horror, and threw themselves to the ground at their feet, both hurriedly begging for their forgiveness.

“Oh, no, no, no, no!” Garlude raised her hands in front of herself and shook her head. “It’s perfectly fine! You guys just made an honest mistake! Nobody has to bow to anybody.”

“Unless they bowin’ to me!” An obnoxiously loud voice shouted out. Everyone looked up to see Dedede atop one of the high towers, slow clapping with a menacing grin on his face. He laughed hard and said, “Name’s Dedede! That’s the king to you. And I welcome you kindly to my humble estate.”

Cavalier Jack stared at the pudgy monarch and then squinted and shielded his eyes to get a better look. “Who’s this clown?”

“I don’t know, but he’s certainly dressed for the part.” Garlude responded.

Dedede growled and shot an accusatory point at the duo as he shouted again. “Don’t y’all go disrespecting me now! I knew you’d be perfect entertainment for the kiddies, so you gonna do as I say and get with the entertaining!”

“Entertainment?!” Jack shouted back. “In your dreams, fatty! You’re not gonna make a circus monkey outta me!”

“Just try it, and you’ll end up just like the rest of your minions!” Garlude threatened as she pulled her sword out again.

“No. Wait,” Meta Knight said as he held out a hand before them. Titling his head up, he spoke to the king. “Sire, if it would be alright, I request that these two knights stay with me. They can help guard the castle from any more threats.”

Dedede was grinding his teeth already at the Star Warriors’ sassing him, but Meta Knight’s suggestion was the final straw. He stormed off in a huff, too angry to argue with him. Meta Knight gave a sigh of relief, but was immediately thrust into another conversation when Garlude grabbed him and quickly turned him around.

“Sire? Meta Knight, you’d better explain what’s going on right now!” She demanded. “I’d really like to figure out what just happened today before I lose it!”

“That… is quite a long story.”

* * *

“And I mean, I’ve heard of carjacking, but that was ridiculous!” Jack quipped. His horrible dad jokes were more than enough to amuse Lady Like and Sir Ebrum, as he and Garlude were finally out of harm’s way and able to enjoy tea and cookies with the family.

“How long were you holding on to that one?” Garlude jokingly chastised, shoving him in the arm. “I swear, if you came up with that in the cell…”

“Nah, I came up with it in the trunk!”  

Another round of laughter, this time more genuine. Meta Knight stood on the balcony’s edge, away from the lighthearted festivity as he watched the sunset. Galaxia had been unsheathed, her golden steel sparkling in the final rays of sunlight as they dipped under the horizon. Tiff walked out of the living room and stood behind him, knowing fully well what he was conflicted over.

“What are you going to tell them, Meta Knight?” She asked.

“That they were kidnapped by Nightmare, and that their brainwaves were scrambled in the rescue attempt.” Meta Knight said as he placed the sword back in her holster, her blade dissipating in a flash as he did so. “It pains me to lie to my dearest friends, but I must. I’m not sure how they would handle the truth. Making sure that they’re healthy and happy is the most important thing.”

Ordinarily Tiff would have offered up a counterargument, but she’d never dealt with a problem like this before. So she nodded quietly in response and watched Meta Knight as he hopped back onto the balcony’s floor and went inside. As Tiff closed the bay doors leading into the room, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye; a flash of neon light darting across the night sky, and then disappearing without a trace.

She shrugged it off and closed the curtains.


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning, Tiff awoke to Kirby outside her door. He seemed to have been waiting for her for quite some time, as could be gathered by the box of crayons and multiple doodles he’d created scattered across the floor. With everything going on, Tiff had just wanted to have one day where nothing out of the ordinary happened, but not on his watch. Kirby wasted no time in grabbing her by the hand and merrily dragging her down the halls, not even stopping to greet Jack and Garlude making their early rounds.

“Kirby, what is it?” Tiff asked. “You haven’t even had breakfast yet!”

She didn’t have much time to wonder what the little puff was leading her to, for when he accidentally slammed into a metal pole, she could see it clear as day.

“Circus tents?”

The entire town courtyard was covered in a mess of colorful tents, with cappies bustling around each and every one. If she wasn’t already off her nut trying to figure out what had crash landed or how Meta Knight’s friends had come back from the dead, then a carnival appearing overnight sure would help. On the same token, with all of that happening, this barely fazed her. Kirby shook off the dizziness, and continued to lead his friend over to a cotton candy machine. It was unmanned, but judging by the coin slot, Tiff began to piece it together.

“Kirby, it’s too early for candy. You’ll spoil your appetite!” she gently scolded, but Kirby continued to look between her and the shiny machine as his stomach growled. Tiff gave a defeated sigh at Kirby’s sad little expression. “Okay, but just this once. You shouldn’t be eating junk food first thing in the morning.”

Tiff fumbled around in her pocket until she’d found a silver coin, and popped it into the machine. With a loud whirr, the machine came to life as a robotic arm popped out holding a thin cone. It dipped the stick down into the rotating cylinder for a few seconds, and with a flick of its wrist, made a lovely flower-shaped cotton candy. Kirby squeaked in joy and took it immediately, and the robotic hand retreated back into the machine.

“It’s pretty impressive, alright,” Tiff said to herself as she put her hands on her hips. “But it’s still kinda weird.”

“Do you want to see impressive?” An echoing voice from behind asked as if it could hear her. Tiff jumped at the sound, and turned on her heel as she wildly searched for the source. “How about magnificent? Fantastic? Maybe even unearthly!”

Hoping it was a coincidence, Tiff located the sound at the center of the pavilion, echoing from a speaker placed right above a stage wrapped in red satin curtains.

“Then step right up, ladies and gents!” The curtain pulled away to reveal a simple beach ball, which began to expand and glimmer until it exploded in a shower of fireworks. Emerging from the ball was a small purple-hued jester, wearing a dual colored cap ‘n bells, silk gloves, and heavy brown boots. He somersaulted in midair and landed en pointe upon the hardwood floor of the stage. His violet eyes, wide and bright, snapped open as he gave a toothy grin. “My name is Marx! And my only wish is to see you awed!”

The crowd oohed and ahhed, but Tiff was suspicious per usual. She took Kirby’s hand and waited for Marx to start performing. And perform he did; he leapt into the air and a thorny vine erupted from beneath him, coiling around the area as he slid across it with ease. The cheering of the crowd fueled him more, as when he’d finished his rotation, he spun around the vine as he kickflipped off the stalk and tumbled back onto the stage.

“Now then! I’ll need some lovely assistants for my next trick! This little number’s something I like to call…” Marx called, and a wheel appeared in a puff of colored smoke. “The Scary-go-Round! One spin on this wheel of misfortune, and you won’t be able to hold it all in! Your excitement, of course!”

“So! Let’s see. Eenie, meanie…” Marx scanned the crowd for volunteers, and his eyes were drawn immediately to Tiff and Kirby. Sure, they stuck out of the crowd just by appearance alone, but Marx felt something special coming from the little pink puff. And as Tiff’s eyes widened, a spark lit up in his. “You two!”

“Uh, no thanks! We’re fine!” Tiff said as she moved to get the hell out of dodge, but the ever-curious Kirby tried to squirm his way out of her grip. Marx grinned, placing his hands behind his back and clenching a fist. Behind the duo, another vine sprouted up and shoved them forward, knocking Kirby free and Tiff to fall flat on her face. Kirby bounded up the stairs, Tiff reluctantly following suit as Marx began to explain the trick.

“This trick is about one thing and one thing only: trust! You’re got to make sure that both you and your partner are on the same wavelength, or it’s all gonna fall apart.” He pointed to Kirby. “Okay, I’ll need you to stand right over there, in front of that wheel!”

“Poyo?” Kirby gave a nervous chirp and waddled over to the wheel. He touched it once, twice, just to make sure it wasn’t some sort of monster in disguise, and then turned around and nodded. “Poyo!”

“Excellent. You, miss?” Marx handed Tiff a deck of playing cards. “Pick a card, any card.”

“It’s Tiff,” she bluntly replied, grossing her arms. “And besides, I don’t think this is how this card trick’s supposed to work.”

“Tiffany, Tiffany, Tiffany,” said the clown, pulling out a card himself. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. Now then! The Ace of Hearts! This is the only card that I won’t be using!”

Marx launched the card into the wheel, a few inches above Kirby’s head; it nearly going through to the other side. Before either party could gauge what was gonna happen next, Marx extended his hand and a beam of light hit Kirby, fastening him to the wheel around the waist as it began to spin violently around. Tiff gasped in horror and ran to try and save the little puff, but Marx stopped her with a shove.

“Don’t! I need you for the second part!” Marx blindfolded himself, and all of the remaining cards began to levitate with a sickly purple hue, all aiming themselves directly at the wheel that poor Kirby was stuck on. “Alright, just tell me when to go!”

“No! I won’t let you!” Tiff yelled, trying to push past him. Marx suddenly disappeared before her eyes, and then reappeared behind her, forcing a card into her hand and positioning her arm.

“If you wanted a shot, you could’ve just said so!” Marx cooed in a singsong voice. “Ready when you are.”

“But you’re still blindfolded!” Tiff tried to argue. “How’re you supposed to-!”

“Just relax,” Marx’s voice suddenly grew harsh, and then soothed once more. “And you can do it. We’re all counting on you.”

Tiff quivered, and then took a deep breath as Marx took his hands off. She looked at the still spinning puffball, yelping and crying out for help. If this really was the only way to save him… Tiff drew her arm back and launched the playing card at the target, three other cards following suit. Marx ripped his blindfold off and snapped his fingers, the wheel immediately grinding to a halt.

“Now, Kirby! Suck up those playing cards!” Marx shouted. Kirby’s head was still spinning, but he saw the cards and popped out of the light restraint, inhaling all four of the cursed cards. It was Kirby’s turn to perform a trick, as he leapt into the air with a determined gaze. A swish of a magic wand and a triumphant tune later, Kirby had taken on a new ability, and sported a lovely top silk hat to boot.

The pink magician wasted no time at all in performing tricks of his own, shooting confetti from his top hat, launching playing cards to and fro, and summoning flurries of doves to dazzle the Cappies. For more than one reason, Tiff was stunned speechless, and she wasted no time in demanding the perpetrator explain himself.

“How did you know he’d transform?” Tiff demanded Marx, putting her hands on her hips.

“A magician never reveals his secrets.” Marx said, and pulled a white rose out from nowhere and gave it to Tiff. “Call it a hunch.”

“You seriously could’ve hurt him for a hunch!” Tiff sneered, turning her nose up at the flower. “And an ability he’s never used before?”

“What, Magic Kirby?” Marx asked. “Oh, he’ll be fine! In fact, I think he’s got the show all covered for me! Time for my break!” Marx summoned another beach ball and rolled away without another word.

“Magic…? Wait, Marx!” Tiff called after him. But it was too late, and she wasn’t sure if she’d even get a proper answer out of him if she caught up. Tiff sighed in defeat and resigned herself to watch Kirby be adorable on stage instead.

* * *

“Spring cleaning? You had me come all this way just to clean out your garage?” Cavalier Jack asked as Escargoon turned the lights on in the dusty old room. “You do realize what a knight’s job is, right?”

“Quit your bellyaching! In this economy, you’re lucky to have a job.” Escargoon fussed. “I just need you to get me stuff on top shelves. You can finally put your freakish size to good use.”

Jack reasoned that he probably should’ve been more offended by that, but she shrugged it off and began making his way around the crowded basement. Maneuvering around empty boxes was hard enough, but the snail handing Jack whatever he didn’t want to carry made it downright impossible. He shoved the stack in his arms onto a nearby table, stopping to catch his breath as he leaned up against a machine.

The machine roared to life, the screen on it flashing blue and black until it had fully rebooted, and on the screen was a blueprint. Jack recognized it immediately; it was for a power amplifier! In fact, it was almost uncannily familiar, he just couldn’t place a finger on why it was. He whistled to get Escargoon’s attention and motioned with his head towards the screen. “You know what this is, goon?”

“Oh, yeah. It’s a power amplifier, or something.” Escargoon said, turning back around. “I tried making it a little while back, but we couldn’t get it to work without the right rubies or whatever. It was a total piece of junk!”

"Hey, they’re a dime-a-dozen where I’m from, but somewhere like this, you could make a fortune!” He’d only been around the two of them for a few hours at least, but he knew how to speak their language like a seasoned pro. When the snail didn’t respond to his schmoozing, he switched tactics.

“Why do you stay with him, huh?" He asked, pulling a box from the stack. “What’s in it for you?”

“Huh?” Escargoon’s breath hitched. He’d never really given the idea much thought before, but he’d always internally justified it. The snail decided the best course of action was to ignore him and move onto another situation before his head started hurting too much. “That is none of your business! Now hurry up and help me get this manual!”

“Alright, alright! Keep your shell on, will ya?” Jack slammed down the box he was holding, and Escargoon stifled an awkward squeak as the muscular Star Warrior stamped over and reached up around him to get the book. The snail’s face was bright red when Jack pushed it into his chest. “There, got your manual. Happy yet?”

“Uh…” Words failed him for a good few seconds before he shook it off and shouted, “I didn’t mean it like that! Give me a boost!”

Cavalier Jack lifted Escargoon up by his waist and positioned him into a cradle carry. Oh, this was _worse._ Escargoon huffed in annoyance and continued to pull books off the shelf while he watched. Jack watched, only half-interested in his obviously flustered state.

“I think I see the problem here.” Jack said.

“That we’re in desperate need of a step-ladder?” Escargoon dryly joked.

“Dedede treats you like garbage, so you go on and treat everyone else bad, too. You don’t have to do it, but you act like you gotta take it out on the world. That’s not gonna do you any favors, pal.” He shrugged, momentarily making Escargoon lose his balance, but steadied him and continued. “Maybe, just maybe, if you stopped hating on everyone else for no reason other than spite, they’d quit hating you, and you could try and be a better guy when all’s said and done.”

“I asked for a boost, not a guidance counselor!” he instantly complained, still red as a tomato. “And if you can’t help me with something simple as that, then hit the road, Jack!”

“Whatever you say, chief.” Jack’s grip loosened and Escargoon was unceremoniously dumped onto the ground. “And that’s why you’re stuck where you are.”

He turned and left as the snail’s face finally returned to its usual pale purple hue. Escargoon sighed deeply, and then yelped in pain as a shoe box bonked him on the head, spilling its contents right before his eyes. There were a few snapped pencils, a few dusty Karuta cards, a few figurines from those chocolate capsules…

“Wait.” Escargoon pulled himself off the ground and turned over the action figure. Pointy ears, magenta skin, dirty blonde hair, and a very familiar metal mask. “It can’t be.”

* * *

“WHAT? You’re telling me that Cavalier Jack’s really Knuckle Joe’s daddy?” Dedede yelled.

“And if I’m not mistaken, Garlude might be that little alien girl’s mom, too.” Escargoon said with a nod, placing the minifig of the Star Warrior down on the throne’s armrest. “I couldn’t tell you if I didn’t see it with my own eyes.”

Dedede growled. “So that’s why they ain’t waiting on me hand an’ foot! They’re all on Meta Knight’s side!”

“Well, I guess now I don’t feel so bad about wasting my wish on a giant blow-dryer.” Escargoon rubbed the back of his neck and awkwardly chuckled.

Leaning back in his chair and suppressing the urge to bonk Escargoon on the head, Dedede frowned and growled in annoyance. “Well, NOVA tells me that he’d do anything for me, and so I want a refund on my wish! Or maybe another one to fix it.”

“You haven’t got the power to do that,” A voice rang out from behind the two of them, and all the lights in the room shut off. They both shrieked and Escargoon jumped onto Dedede’s head and clung to it. “But NOVA didn’t tell you that, did he?”

“Ah, what _else_ is this week gonna throw at us?!” the snail whined. Dedede shoved him off his face with a grunt, and called out to the disembodied voice.

“Alright, I’ve had enough o’ surprises for now! Show yourself!” Dedede roared, and a spotlight shone at the doors leading into the throne room. Marx calmly levitated into view, his irises shrunken and his gaze harsh. His hands were once again folded behind his back, and he retained a steady stare as he moved closer and closer to Dedede, the spotlight seemingly glued to him.

“Your majesty,” Marx said with a bow. His voice dripped with an undercurrent of disgust, something Dedede didn’t quite pick up on. All he knew was that this guy was mad. “How delightful to make your acquaintance. And yours, too, milord.”

Escargoon was very pleased his title had been recognized, but was cut off by Dedede. “And who are you supposed to be?! What’chu mean, NOVA ain’t telling me the truth?”

“Just a friend. A friend who knows all about your little wishing machine,” Marx floated around the king like a moon would orbit a planet. “See, NOVA has this great racket going. He tells you he’ll give you all you want, but… there’s always a catch. A string attached. He makes you his puppet, and for what? One measly wish?”

Marx shook his head. “No, no. That’s not right at all. And with cons like that running around, what you really need is a friend to fall back on, right?”

Dedede thought about it for a second. NOVA had screwed him over with his wish; he could’ve gotten any Star Warrior at his beck and call, but ended up with two rebellious knights who were more interested in cavorting with Meta Knight. Even Escargoon, usually the one to talk the king down from such frivolous split-decisions, was weighing the pros and cons in his head. Marx flashed a toothy grin as he watched them quietly make their choice.

“So, let me be your friend?” Marx asked, extending a hand.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's a goofier chapter for our favorite pink puff's birthday! Just ignore that I haven't updated in three months.

Cappy Town bustled with tourists and villagers as Marx floated by. He wondered why they were ignoring him just because he wasn’t on stage. Were they really that superficial to ignore something the second the novelty had worn off? Or maybe they were too stupid to realize that he was right there, walking among them. Perhaps Kirby was more marketable than he, something he took notice of with all the pink merchandise filling up the stands.

As selfishly petty as they were, all of these thoughts ran through Marx’s head at the speed of sound; they were missed opportunities for attention, and Marx knew he loved his attention. He opted to take his mind off of them and focus on his main target: the blonde-haired bookworm with her purple Star Warrior friend.

“So she only ever made one book?” Garlude asked as she turned over the Pappy Pottey novel in her hand. “That’s a shame. I would have loved to see more of his adventures.”

“Me too, but it’s her choice,” Tiff responded. “Rowlin told me that if she’d worried that she would run out of ideas and have to pull plot twists out of thin air. Besides, I think she wrapped it all up pretty nicely!”

Tiff smiled gently at the memory of meeting her favorite author, but when she looked up and saw Marx hovering above them, her expression soured. The clown responded with a toothy grin and a wink as he landed gently in front of the duo.

“Heya, Tiff! How’s it been?” Marx asked in a cartoonish tone as he floated down to eye level. Tiff turned away from the clown and and closed her eyes with a short humph, and Marx's eyes innocently widened as he attempted to re-mediate. “Aw, don’t be like that! Sorry for putting you on the spot, but your little friended really looked like he wanted to be part of the show, and who could ever say no to that face? I sure couldn’t!”

“What I’m more concerned about is how you know so much about him,” Tiff replied, cracking an eye open. “How do I know you don’t want to hurt him?”

“Is this kid bothering you?” Garlude asked, pulling her sword out and aiming it at the little grape.

“Hey, hey, hey!” He yelped, lurching backwards and putting his hands up. Now with two threats squarely centered on him, Marx tried to play it cool. “You ladies have the wrong idea! I’m his biggest fan! Kirby is the only reason that I even wanted to come to Dreamland, honest! In fact, do either of you know where he is? I’ve been meaning to apologize to him, too.”

“Uh-huh,” Tiff said. His abrupt personality shift didn’t go unquestioned as she cocked a brow at his newfound humility. “If you’re going to apologize to Kirby, you’re going to have to do a lot better than just saying you’re sorry.”

Coming to the quick realization that neither of them were willing to help him, Marx awkwardly bowed out of the conversation and sped off on another ball he’d apparated from thin air. He was beginning to wonder if he could’ve gotten the king or his sidekick to help with this part, but considering how they’d been trying and failing to clobber Kirby for the past two years… he was fairly sure he’d made the right choice.

Through overhearing the chatty tourists and some gossipy women in the town, Marx discovered Kirby’s modest little dome-shaped home. At least he assumed it belonged to Kirby, despite the fact that the little creampuff had taken up residence in the nest outside. Marx nestled into a bush with a small lunchbox and a pair of binoculars, watching the Star Warrior snooze attentively. He knew that Kirby was smarter than he looked, and if he just waited long enough, the kid would lead him straight to NOVA.

So he waited.

And he waited.

And he waited.

Kirby continued to sleep. In fact, sleeping wasn’t looking half bad right about now. Maybe he could just take a quick nap, and then get back to stalking the little guy…

Marx’s eyes snapped open and he wildly looked around to make sure that Kirby was still in the tree and that nobody had caught him napping. When he realized he was alone and that the little cream-puff hadn’t moved an inch, he exhaled a sigh of relief. Marx looked out over the horizon and saw the sun peeking over the east ridge.

Wait a minute. The sun didn’t set in the east. Which could mean only one thing.

“I’VE BEEN WATCHING HIM SLEEP FOR A WHOLE DAY!?” the clown shrieked. Kirby still did not stir, even with his minor meltdown.

Now thoroughly peeved, he threw his binoculars to the ground and stomped on them, storming off in a huff. Whether it be to clear his mind or to harass the local wildlife, Marx found himself at the beach next. The remained there until the sun came up, angrily lying prone on the sand as the rays beat down upon his body. He flipped over and emitted a whiny moan.

“Oh!” A sunfish peeked its head over the waves and gasped in awe at the sight of the clown. “Hey, are you that new magician in town? I heard about that cool trick that you and my sweet princess Tiff did! Did she ask anything about me?”

Harass the local wildlife it was!

“But of course!” Marx sweetly crooned as he jolted upright, feeling his mood about to get a whole lot better. “She’s done nothing but talk about you all day!  In fact, she even told me to bring you a message!”

The sunfish’s eyes lit up. “She did?! Oh, happy day! What is it?”

“Come a little closer and I’ll tell ya.” Marx said with a great big smile, gesturing towards himself with a finger.

The sunfish’s eyes lit up as did as he was told, Marx closing his eyes in return. And then, Marx produced an ear-splitting screech, golden tendrils busting from his sides in bat-wing shaped protrusions, his jaw snapping wide, and his eyes becoming empty and black. The sunfish immediately keeled over in horror, a scream barely escaping its lips as the fish floated unconscious atop the water.

Marx giggled and skipped away, hearing two terrified voices burst out from the underbrush and coming across the grisly scene. Oh yeah, he definitely needed that to cheer him up. And as his luck would have it, he could hear the telltale sounds of Kirby skipping through the forest, completely unaware of the animals’ plight. Time to turn on the charm.

“Kirby! It’s great to see ya! Say, how’s your day been going?” Marx asked, barreling through the conversation without so much as giving Kirby a second to respond. “Mine’s been going great! I just made a brand-new friend!”

Marx motioned with his head towards the scene of the trio, where Kirby saw Rick and Coo angrily arguing over whether or not a fish needed CPR or if it was even possible to give CPR with water. Kirby gave a brisk nod and turned on his heel, not wanting to know what lead up to that point. Seeing that his target was quickly escaping again, Marx cheerfully floated alongside him and whistled innocently. Not wanting to be rude, Kirby cocked his head and looked up at Marx, wordlessly asking why he was following him.

“Oh, me? I just wanna see some of the wonderful parks you’ve got here. Not Whispy Woods, though. That’s a little too mainstream for my tastes.” Marx said as he gently pushed Kirby in the direction of the other woodland, Babagahara, which the little puff obeyed without a second thought. “And Whispy’s a regular canary.”

Though apples had been on Kirby’s mind for an early morning snack, he happily skipped around the lush greenery of the alternate forest, playing in the stream with all the glee of a child. Marx reclined in a tree with his hands behind his head, paying no mind to his boyish whims. At least until Kirby suddenly stopped and gently shook the tree he was in. Marx lazily opened an eye and saw Kirby waving at him to follow suit before the pink puffball toddled off into the underbrush.

A devilish smile spread across his face as he floated down. “So you’ve got something important to show me, huh?”

Marx diligently followed the little star warrior through the winding woods, over every obstacle, around every weird looking rock the kid picked up and tried to carry with him, as if his life depended on it. Even as Kirby seemed to forget which way he was going, only to suddenly remember and run the other way, he stayed all smiles. That is, until they came across a dead end marked with a high rock wall and a spider’s web.

“Poyo?” Kirby chirped as he rubbed his hand over the smooth stone in confusion; hadn’t it been here just the other day? He tapped his chin (or lack thereof), lost in thought. Marx sighed in annoyance, leaning up against something large and fuzzy.

The massive Como growled in return.

“Kirby! Do something!” Marx screeched. Kirby turned around with a start at the sound of his associate’s terrified yell and saw the clown half-wrapped up in the spider’s silk.

Kirby’s gaze grew serious; nobody could mess with some friendly guy he’d just met the other day and get away with it! Kirby dashed around the Como, distracting it long enough for Marx to cut himself loose with one of his playing cards. He shot the same card into the cliff side, knocking down boulders for the little puff to inhale. With one mighty gulp, Kirby transformed into Stone Kirby and ground-pounded as hard as he could. It was at this point that Marx grew frighteningly aware of the consequences of his actions.

“Wait-!” Marx protested, but it was too late. He was launched into the air with a loud scream of fright and the Como was rendered unconscious. Stone Kirby climbed up the wall slowly, the little puff dropping the ability as soon as he reached the top and his feet were on solid ground. As was to be logically expected, Marx was also unconscious and buried a good three inches into the ground face first. Kirby unearthed the jester and went on his merry way, dragging Marx behind himself. As the jester slowly faded back into consciousness, he could see something brightly glowing in the distance, but his vision was too blurry to tell exactly what it was… and then, he saw it in its full glory.

“A flower?” Marx slowly asked as he pulled himself out of Kirby's grip. “You brought me all this way to show me a flower?”

Kirby nodded. Marx could only gawk in utter silence as he proceeded to take the tiny cup besides the sprout, fill it up from the babbling brook a few feet away, and pour it onto the glistening blossom. It was a very lovely flower indeed; a scarlet hue with gentle golden stamens protruding from its center… but it sure as hell wasn’t a clockwork star. Not even the draping vines hanging on the rock wall behind it framing it like it were upon a stage were enough to warm the jester’s heart in an ironic sense of familiarity.

“Well, this was a colossal waste of time.” Marx grumbled under his breath as he conjured a ball beneath his feet. He raised his voice to shout back to Kirby. “Thanks for the save, I guess! I’ll catch up with you later!”

Kirby cheerfully waved after him with a happy squeak and watched him roll over the hills. Once Marx was far out of sight, he stepped through the dangling vines as if they were a beaded curtain into a cavernous hallway.

His tiny little feet echoed against the stone walls as he bounded towards a clearing. The clearing inside the cave was vast and beautiful, coated in moss and peat with a circular pond in its center. From the pond emerged a gentle piano medley, and NOVA himself rose from the water, droplets glistening off his golden exterior. He opened his violet eyes and lovingly stared down at the puffball.

**\-- > HELLO AGAIN, KIRBY.**

“Poyo!” Kirby said.


	6. Chapter 6

Tiff was not having a good day. More accurately, Tiff had not been having a very good past week.

It wasn’t enough that a massive storm had knocked out their power for the better half of a day, or that a hunk of space junk had crash landed in their front lawn and sent the castle grounds into a fit, or that two deceased Star Warriors had come back from the grave, or that a strange clown kid was trying to stalk Kirby. No, it was that all of these events seemed to be connecting in some fashion, but she had no clue what the stitch holding them all together was. And it didn’t help that all of her possible sources were drawing blanks, too.

Tiff left Kirby’s home after receiving a very frenetic and very annoyed complaint list from Tokkori, badmouthing Garlude fort being an awful houseguest and waking him up in the middle of the night. Her previous talk with Kawasaki hadn’t yielded any guesses as to what was going on, other than the fact that Cavalier Jack seemed to be fairly well-off, given how he tipped. And goodness knows she couldn’t ask Meta Knight about anything; it would be easier to carry on a conversation with Kirby than get any information out of him.

“Hi, Tiff! Gonna go play with friends, goodbye!” Tuff shouted as he rushed past her, a canteen strapped to his back.

Ordinarily, she wouldn’t have made much note of it, but the fact that he had to come up with an excuse out of nowhere seemed suspicious. And the fact that he was going towards Babahagara rather than Whispy Woods was enough to raise an eyebrow as well. Against her better judgement, Tiff went after him. Unlike their last disastrous escapade, Tuff was able to bob and weave around any obstacle he came across, almost as if he’d memorized the path. Tiff retained a close following distance in the underbrush until they came to a bizarre red flower in front of a cliff.

Tiff watched Tuff pull the canteen off his back and water the flower before he stepped through the swath of vines. She quietly followed suit… were it not for her foot smacking against the canteen her brother had used and splashing the plant once again. Tiff gave a short yelp and rubbed her toe, wincing as she did so. Taking a deep breath, Tiff pushed through the vines, entered the tunnel behind them, and braced herself for whatever was on the other side.

Blinking in the light as she stepped out into the clearing, Tiff gasped. Floating above her brother was a giant gear-shaped creature, and atop its peak was Kirby.

“Tuff,” she managed to squeak out. “What’s going on?”

He turned around with a start and screamed. “Uh… I can explain!” Tuff’s voice began to trail off as he looked at the ground, a bit embarrassed. “Me and Kirby were messing around, and we found this cool flower, and I watered it, and…”

Rather than scold him as he’d expected her to, Tiff’s jaw dropped. The massive Clockwork Star opened its sleepy purple eyes as Kirby slid down off its pendulum and gently splashed down in the water.

**\-- > YOU MUST BE TIFF. KIRBY HAS TOLD ME SO MUCH ABOUT YOU.**

She was at a loss for words as she gaped at the glowing deity above her. Kirby’s dissonantly happy giggles echoing on the walls didn’t help to make her feel any less stunned. Tuff had evidently been acquainted with it already, and he ran forward to meet the clock at the base of the lake as soon as he’d heard a voice ring out.

“NOVA! NOVA! I’ve got my wish ready!” Tuff called out. But Tiff suddenly grabbed his shoulder and turned him around.

“Tuff, what is this thing? Where’d you even find it? What’s going on?!” she asked. Tuff noticed that, unlike her usual interrogations, Tiff was more concerned than angry. He stammered a bit, unsure of how to explain himself. Fortunately, NOVA seemed to notice his discomfort, chiming a delicate tone to get both of their attentions.

**\-- > I AM THE GREAT CLOCKWORK STAR, NOVA. I GRANT THE WISHES OF ALL MORTALS, SO THAT THEIR WILDEST DREAMS MAY COME TRUE. I AM COME TO YOUR PLANET FLEEING A GREAT EVIL THAT DESIRE TO STEAL MY STRENGTH AND SEND THE UNIVERSE INTO CHAOS.**

“A great evil?” Tiff asked, releasing Tuff’s shoulders. “Is it something like Nightmare?”

**\-- > HIS AMBITIONS ARE NOT AS CONCISE AS ENEMEE’S WERE. **

“Well, do you at least know his name?” she asked again. This time, NOVA did not respond immediately. Instead, NOVA’s eyes slowly slid over to meet Tuff’s gaze.

**\-- > WHAT IS YOUR WISH, TUFF.**

“I wanna be a hero!” he shouted. “Make me a hero, like a Star Warrior!”

  **\-- > AH, JUST LIKE THE STAR WARRIORS THAT THE BLUE HERO WISHED FOR. OKAY-**

“NOVA, wait!” Tuff suddenly yelled. He then nudged Tiff. “Don’t you wanna wish for anything, sis? Like, maybe for a new bookshelf, or for Dedede to be nicer…”

Tiff blinked, still taken aback by everything that was going on (and a bit miffed that NOVA didn’t give her a clue on who to look out for), before saying, “I… I think I’m good, Tuff.”

**\-- > OK. **

**\-- > 3... 2... 1... GO!**

The area was bathed in a golden light, and just like that, NOVA was gone. Tuff opened his eyes and looked around the cavern, then down at himself. He frowned and turned to his sister.

“Do I look any more heroic?” Tuff asked.

Tiff shook her head and said, “I don’t think it works like that. He said he can’t control people’s lives, you know.”

“Well, maybe when I wake up tomorrow, I’ll be a hero!” he cheered. “It just needs some time to kick in!”

“Speaking of heroes…” Tiff began to wonder. “What did he mean by a ‘blue hero’ wishing for Star Warriors back?”

“Blue hero? It’s obvious!” Tuff said. “It’s Meta Knight!”

“It certainly explains a lot, but why would Meta Knight wish for Garlude and Cavalier Jack to come back?” Tiff asked. “I’d think that he of all people would want them to rest in peace, not be stuck in a time period that they don’t know anything about.”

Tuff shrugged as Kirby shook himself off and waddled over to the duo. He looked down at Kirby and said, “Coulda thought it was unfair that he and Kirby got to live in a world without Nightmare, and they didn’t.”

Tiff tapped her chin before offering up, “Maybe he was lonely and just wanted a friend to talk to.”

“Yeah, right!” Tuff laughed. “Meta Knight doesn’t like anybody!”

* * *

“Sire, what was so wrong with the balcony?” Escargoon harshly whispered. He barely stifled a gasp as the branch supporting him wobbled, gripping tighter onto the tree’s trunk. “I think we’re a little more noticeable up here, don’t you?”

"Hush, you!” Dedede barked. “I can't see 'em if you're blabberin' on like that!"

The sheer fact that the branch Dedede was curled about hadn’t broken yet was a miracle in itself. Every time the king wiggled around trying to look closer at the knights beneath them, Escargoon could feel his blood pressure rise. Meta Knight, Garlude, and Cavalier Jack stood beneath the tree, overlooking a crowd of curious Cappy kids (as well as a few adults) and answering various questions that they’d been offering up.

“Next question.” Meta Knight said, pointing to a young girl in the crowd.

“Kirby had a Warp Star, and he flew on his! Can you guys fly on your Warp Stars?” she asked.

Jack pulled out his Warp Star with and grin and said, “Well, ain’t never heard of flying on it, but this little number might be up to your speed.” 

He tossed the star into the air as it glowed white, and in an instant, it formed into a massive shield. On its surface, it bore a North Star sigil, each point christened with a blue gemstone. Jack leapt up and caught the shield before it could hit the ground and landed in a three-point position. The crowd cheered, Jack grinned, and Escargoon could feel his face get hotter as he blushed.

He shook his head in a feeble attempt to clear it and turned to the penguin again as he asked, “What’s the point of all of this, sire?”

Dedede hushed him again. “Shh! I’m waiting for one o’ them kids to ask about something important! Like an applesauce’s heel or something!”

Escargoon rolled his eyes and mumbled, “Yeah, like some little kid’s going to ask them for a detailed list on their weaknesses.”

Garlude narrowed her eyes over the sea of screaming bystanders and pointed at a young boy rapidly waving his arm around.

“Can Meta Knight turn a Warp Star into something cool, too?” asked Spikehead.

Jack put his hands up and gently gestured for him to settle down as he responded. “Pump those brakes, kid! This much star power’s not just for show! We use our stars to keep people safe, y’know?”

“Right,” Meta Knight said with a nod. “Besides, I would require my own Warp Star to do such a thing.”

“You mean… like this one?” Garlude asked, pulling out a tiny golden star from her pocket.

Meta Knight’s eyes widened as he snatched it from her hand, staring down at it as the Cappies oohed and ahhed.

“Where’d you even get that?” Jack asked, just as surprised as Meta Knight was.

Garlude replied with a chuckle, “I had the feeling that you’d try to show off, so I figured I’d help him get a leg up on you.”

Jack shoved her in the arm as she her chuckles rose into laughter. But the kids were more focused on Meta Knight as he continued to gaze at the tiny star in his mitt. Incapable of seeing a way out of this that wouldn’t result in him getting chastised for ruining the dreams of children, Meta Knight pulled off his cape and handed it to Garlude. He took a deep breath, pressing the Warp Star up to his mask as he closed his eyes.

As the Warp Star glowed, the swordsman’s entire body was bathed in light. Two bat-like wings splayed out from his back and gave a few practice flaps before he lifted off. As the light faded, Meta Knight hovered above the group as they wordlessly stared in awe.

After the initial shock wore off, Honey whimpered and hid behind Iroo as she squeaked out, “Sc- scary!”

It seemed she was the only one with that particular opinion, as the rest of the kids began to whoop and cheer, calling his wings “awesome” and begging him to do tricks. Equally taken aback by their enthusiasm and annoyed, Meta Knight rolled his eyes and flapped his wings harder.

As he cleared the tree and got a better view of the town, he took another deep breath and dove down, corkscrewing mere inches from the children’s heads to their screaming delight. He couldn’t help but feel a bit hypocritical showing off like this… but it did help to disassociate it from the war. And as long as the wind remained steady and Tokkori didn’t come flying fast, he reckoned he would be perfectly-

A large rock smacking into his back quickly halted this train of thought.

“Sire!” Escargoon hissed.

Dedede put down the slingshot and grinned before laughing, “Now we in for a real show!”

Meta Knight had been thrown dangerously off-balance; years of neglect were beginning to become evident as he desperately tried to keep himself upright. But it was of no use as he found himself tumbling and violently jerking around as he began losing more and more altitude. Jack froze up for only a split second before jumping into action, grabbing Garlude by the arm and pulling her towards an open area in the center of town.

“Over here!” Garlude shouted, trying in vain to direct Meta Knight over towards her, using the cape as a target for the rapidly plummeting knight.

“Yeah, try to crash… somewhere over here!” Jack added, waving his arms like a ground control officer.

Meta Knight proceeded to piledrive into the both of them, as all three knights crashed into an unfortunately placed cart full of Kirby plush toys. As the dust cleared and the throng of Cappies quickly rushed over to make sure that they were unharmed, all was deathly quiet as the trio laid in a pile of eviscerated wood and stuffed animals.

And then Meta Knight laughed, long and hard. Jack and Garlude joined in,

“Well, I think that’s enough questions for today!” Garlude said as she pulled herself out of the wreckage. “I think it’s high time we headed back before Meta Knight smashes anything else.”

“Yep!” Jack sprung off the ground and dusted himself off. “And tell Tuggle that we’ll pay for whatever we shredded. You coming, MK?”

“Give me a moment, I need to collect my bearings…” Meta Knight began to say, but when he looked up, he saw Jack extending his hand. There was only a moment of hesitation before Meta Knight took his hand firmly, pulling himself off the ground. He wrapped his cape about himself and walked off towards the castle. With the Cappies distracted by the knights, Escargoon and Dedede carefully climbed down the tree.

“Well, I hope you’re proud of yourself, your majesty.” Escargoon berated as he landed. “You’ve committed property damage by proxy.”

“I sure am,” Dedede said, his tone uncharacteristically dark. “I just found me his weakness.”


End file.
